A Toronto judge has imposed a $2000 fine, 150 hours of community services and two years probation on Marcella Zoia who gained fame as the “chair girl” after she threw a chair off a 45th floor balcony in downtown Toronto, and then posted the video on social media.
The judge said a suspended sentence would not be sufficiently punitive, nor would it address her moral culpability. But he said 4-6 months in jail would be too onerous.
The closest case the Judge could identify was an offender who threw a brick over the Bloor viaduct, causing damage to a motor vehicle. He got seven months. But were significant differences as he had a lengthy record and he likely meant to cause harm. Judge said he didn’t think Zoia meant to hurt anyone.
Zoia has already served 55 of the 150 hours of public service. Her lawyer says she has suffered from the intense media coverage and has been ostracized on social media. He noted that the 20-year-old girl has had a difficult relationship with her mother and an absent father.
Judge refers to her increased following on social media, contrasting to the potential danger of her actions. Zoia is 20, “intelligent and capable” woman, judge says, with supportive family. Her father was absent in her life. She has lived both in Canada and Brazil.
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